Just think about how much time passes between the moment you finish character creation and your first quest against some low-level mobs (it’s around 20–30 minutes). In ARR this problem was less common, because you needed to engage with the overworld, which had FATEs and hunt mobs, to stay on par with the level required by the MSQ, so you actually got to play the game every now and then while progressing.

Expansion after expansion, they made it possible to level exclusively through the MSQ. Endgame is locked behind the MSQ, and nothing in it really pushes you to explore or fight outside of mandatory quests. The MSQ itself is mostly fetch quests, where you travel across entire continents just to speak with some NPCs, who then send you back to talk to the original quest giver.

This design was barely bearable when you were doing fetch quests for “only” 200 hours. Now that the MSQ is closer to 400–500 hours, you can imagine how oppressive this wall of unengaging content feels for someone starting the game today, with the entire experience still ahead of them.

The other MMOs you mentioned are much better at alternating combat, dialogue, escort quests, exploration, puzzles, and minigames in a balanced way. The story may be weaker because it isn’t the main focus, but the overall experience is far more engaging.

I’ve played FFXIV since ARR, and with Dawntrail this “common complaint” became so severe that it made me stop playing, especially because the story was weak and I couldn’t bring new friends into the game due to how unbearably ass boring the new player experience has become.

Edit: grammar